Sheet Metal Forming Simulator

The Sheet Metal Forming Simulator has been developed within the laboratory to simulate the contact conditions as they occur between the sheet and the tool in sheet metal forming (SMF) processes. The tester, that can measure the lateral force in sliding and that contains a sample of tool material, is mounted onto the MTS tensile tester. A strip of sheet material is clamped in the tensile tester, so that it can be plastically deformed in a controlled manner during the experiment. During the experiment, the SMF tester pushes the tool against the deforming strip while sliding down. This enables laboratory-scale simulation of the contact in SMF operations and measurement of the friction and wear as they occur in SMF operations.